Catonator: Mobile robot saws through rock electrically with a 2-meter saw
The Catonator consists of a heavy-duty robotic arm that guides a giant circular saw. This is operated electrically.
The Catonator robot in action: here it is sawing tunnel walls to size.
(Image: Kuka)
In collaboration with cutting specialist Sørheim Riveservice, Norwegian technology optimizer Smart Productions has converted a robotic arm from robotics company Kuka so that it can use a circular saw blade up to 2 m in diameter on the move from a truck. The Catonator saw, named after the owner of Sørheim Riveservice, Cato Sørhei, cuts through reinforced concrete and all kinds of rock.
The Catonator is based on the Fortec KR 80 Ultra robot arm from Kuka. The robot arm is designed for heavy loads of up to 800 kg, requires a small footprint and weighs just 2.4 tons. With a payload of 640 kg, it weighs 2.2 tons. This makes it one of the lightest robot arms in its class, which also makes it suitable for mobile use. The reach of the robot arm with six degrees of freedom is 2.8 m. This allows it to operate precisely from the truck and saw in the desired places.
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Fully electric sawing operation
The engineers have attached a spindle to the robot arm that can hold saw blades with a diameter of between 1 m and 2 m. The saw is driven by a fully electric drive. The saw drive is fully electric and is powered by a high-performance battery module. This reduces or even eliminates noise and exhaust fumes and reduces the strain on operating personnel during sawing work. The two companies also advertise that the electric drive reduces COâ‚‚ emissions.
In addition to the saw, other tools can also be connected to the Catonator, such as those for drilling and bending. The robot is controlled by an operator via a wireless remote control. The operator can either control the movements of the arm manually using a joystick or trigger pre-programmed sequences via a control panel. The RobotSensorInterface, a standard interface that Kuka has integrated and via which external control systems can be connected, is used as the interface between the control unit and the robot.
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The saw can be used in various ways and cuts through reinforced concrete and rock, for example. The robot can therefore be used in road and house construction as well as tunnel construction.
(olb)
